Grade 4 · Science · Unit 6 of 6
Erosion & Fossils
How land changes, and what fossils tell us
What your child practises
Weathering and erosion by water, wind, ice and glaciers, deposition, how fossils form, the T. rex Scotty from Eastend, and how fossils are evidence of Earth's long history.
Saskatchewan Curriculum outcome: RM4.3 · how weathering, erosion and fossils are evidence of how landforms on Earth formed
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Why do landforms such as canyons take a very long time to form?
⏳- they only form in winter
- they are drawn by scientists
- they appear overnight
- weathering and erosion work very slowly
Show answer
weathering and erosion work very slowly
Hint: Small changes add up over millions of years.
Question 2
What is erosion?
🚚- making a fossil
- adding soil
- breaking rock where it is
- moving bits of rock and soil from place to place
Show answer
moving bits of rock and soil from place to place
Hint: Wind, water and ice move sediment.
Question 3
Why do scientists look at many fossils and not just one?
🔬- more evidence gives a better story
- it takes less time
- one is enough always
- fossils never help
Show answer
more evidence gives a better story
Hint: Many pieces of evidence show a clearer picture.
Question 4
How does ice break a rock?
🧊- ice makes the rock heavy
- water freezes in a crack and expands
- ice makes the rock hot
- ice eats the rock
Show answer
water freezes in a crack and expands
Hint: Frost wedging happens often in Saskatchewan winters.
Question 5
Put these in order, from the fastest change to the slowest.
- 🌊a flood washes away a bank
- 🏞️a river carves a deep valley
- 🌧️a gully forms after many rains
Show answer
a flood washes away a bank → a gully forms after many rains → a river carves a deep valley
Hint: A flood can change land in a day. A river takes years to carve a valley, and a canyon takes millions.
Question 6
What is a paleontologist?
🧑🔬- a person who studies stars
- a scientist who studies fossils
- a farmer
- a person who studies weather
Show answer
a scientist who studies fossils
Hint: They learn about life long ago.